Nintendo President Teases Price and Launch Games of Nintendo Switch

To say that the Nintendo Wii U is a failure would seem like an understatement, especially considering the massive success of its predecessor, the Nintendo Wii. Actually, it can be argued that Nintendo would have been absent in this generation of gaming if it weren’t for the Nintendo 3DS. Which is the only thing that’s keeping handheld consoles from being crushed by the rise of mobile gaming, no thanks to the non-participation of the PlayStation Vita.

One of the biggest criticisms thrown at the Wii U was its lack of third-party support, which proved that Mario, Zelda and Nintendo’s other intellectual properties are no longer enough to usher the company to success these days. This led to a change in Nintendo’s perspective. Last March 2015, Nintendo announced that they were developing a next-gen console, which was code-named the ‘NX’. Fast-forward to today, the console was recently revealed as the Nintendo Switch.

An new gaming experience has arrived

The announcement video above confirmed rumors from a few months ago that it will be a home console and handheld console hybrid, with detachable controllers. But hardware details aside, the Nintendo Switch will also have a much better third-party support. Big-name companies like Electronic Arts, Square Enix, Capcom and Bethesda are already on-board the Nintendo Switch.

However, the only game confirmed so far is “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”. But the announcement video did show gameplay footage of “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” on the console, along with an NBA 2K game (most likely NBA 2K17). It won’t be until January 2017 that Nintendo will reveal further details about the Nintendo Switch. But in an earnings meeting, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima teased at the game’s price and lineup of games.

In the price department, Kimishima said that the Nintendo Switch will come with a price that players would expect from a Nintendo console. The Wii launched with a price tag of $250, while the Wii U came with a $300 tag. So the Nintendo Switch could be in the same range. However, the Nintendo Switch is sort of a new concept in gaming, so it’s possible that it will be priced in the $350-400 range.

And as for the launch games? Kimishima only said that they will be “embraced by a variety of different people across many different age demographics”. This might mean the launch lineup will consist of games from the Nintendo stable, along with games aimed at both casual and hardcore gamers. With the way the Wii U embarrassingly flopped, the Nintendo Switch needs to hit from all angles to recapture the Nintendo magic. But based on the trailers alone, it looks like the company is back on track.